Articles/News with propane tag

With Blue Bird recently netting its biggest-ever order of propane school buses — more than 400 — President and CEO Phil Horlock is ebullient about the fuel’s potential. Here, he discusses alternative fuels, the state of school bus sales and other pertinent topics.

McClung, who served in the transportation department at Northside Independent School District in San Antonio from 1977 to 2000, passed away on March 9 at the age of 65. McClung was a longtime supporter of using alternative fuels to power school buses, and he was instrumental in converting the district’s fleet from diesel to propane.

Genesee Intermediate School District’s transportation consortiums provide service to special-needs and career/technical students in 21 districts. Route, bus maintenance and other efficiencies have saved participating districts $42.4 million since 1997, while service continues to expand. Driver training is extensive.

Dallas County Schools is among the school systems in the state running buses on the fuel, and it reportedly saves about $500,000 annually with the $0.50-per-gallon tax credit. Officials from the Propane Council of Texas say that with the recent extension of alternative-fuel tax credits, districts will be able to save more money this year.

The director of transportation and fleet service at Colorado’s Adams 12 Five Star Schools has orchestrated adjustments to school bell times to make busing more efficient, for an overall savings of $900,000. He has also set up mechanic apprenticeship programs to help young people enter the field.

The eight Blue Bird Propane-Powered Vision school buses have been in operation at Fort Zumwalt School District since last June. The district’s chief financial officer says the district is saving “around 18.9 cents per mile due to lower fuel costs,” and officials anticipate that the buses will save the district “approximately $18,000 this school year.”

The fiscal deal passed by Congress this week includes provisions that benefit fleets that use alternative fuels. The bill, expected to be signed into law by President Obama, extends tax credits for such fuels as propane, compressed natural gas and biodiesel — all of which power many school buses.

The school bus contractor will serve two Nebraska school districts with about 530 vehicles, including more than 400 new propane buses. Company officials say that it will be the nation's largest propane-powered school bus fleet.

Now in its 37th year of business, Central States Bus Sales recently strengthened efforts to focus on the school bus manufacturer’s green technologies and provide comprehensive instruction for customers in the process.

The NEXBUS units will be used by the school bus contractor to provide student transportation to Seattle Public Schools and Portland (Ore.) Public Schools. The propane fuel system was developed in partnership with CleanFUEL USA.

The school bus manufacturer announces at the NAPT Summit that it will develop a Saf-T-Liner C2 powered by compressed natural gas. Also, Thomas Built’s new propane Type A is now in production, and its propane Type C is expected to be available next year.

During the event hosted by ROUSH CleanTech and organized by Blue Bird dealer Cardinal Bus Sales, 30 Ohio school district representatives go on a 300-mile roundtrip ride between Lima, Ohio, and Livonia, Mich., in the propane-powered Vision. They learn about ROUSH’s liquid propane fuel system and product platforms, and tour the company’s emissions testing dynamometer lab and the manufacturing facility.

State director Ben Shew tells SBF that propane’s price and its availability in West Virginia are key factors in school districts’ interest in the alternative fuel. He says that switching to propane could save more than $3,100 in fuel costs annually per bus.

Kelley Platt, the company's president and CEO, says that transportation changes many districts are making — from running buses longer to increasing walking distances — have reduced the need for new buses and aren’t likely to be reversed. In turn, the OEM is focused on becoming more cost-effective in its manufacturing while maintaining quality. Platt discusses the market shifts, cost of ownership and product developments with SBF.

Officials say that at 10,000 square feet, the new facility is double that of the previous facility, and that its configuration allows for better use of production space, including a dedicated clean room for sensitive component assembly and an expanded prototype shop for developing new designs and systems.

The conversion of Dallas County Schools' buses by CleanFUEL USA is funded through a $1 million grant from the North Central Texas Council of Governments’ Clean Fleets North Texas program. CleanFUEL USA has also secured 37 new or expanded contracts with other Texas districts.

The Cleaner and Greener Fuels app from Leonardo Academy is available for download free of charge from the iTunes app store, the Google Play store and the Cleaner and Greener website. It provides routes to stations on a series of interactive maps for such fuels as compressed natural gas, biodiesel, propane and electricity.

The contractor receives the buses this month, and they will be used by Portland (Ore.) Public Schools. Officials for Blue Bird and ROUSH CleanTech, which developed the fuel system for the buses, say that it is the largest single order to date for the Next Generation Propane-Powered Vision. In related news, John Roselli joins Blue Bird as director of alternative fuels.

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